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7/10/2025, 10:47:58 PM
PART I: Cognitive Biases You Can Hijack
1. The Zeigarnik Effect
Unfinished tasks dominate your mental RAM.
Exploit it:
Start something tiny your brain will crave completion
Use this to form habits: open the book, do 1 rep, hit record
Begin before you’re ready to force engagement
2. The Peak-End Rule
We judge experiences based on their peak moment and their end.
Exploit it:
End workouts, conversations, days with intensity or clarity
Always finish strong — it retroactively rewrites memory
Use for public speaking, sex, social interactions, journaling
3. Commitment & Consistency Bias
We align our actions to appear consistent with our past behavior.
Exploit it:
Declare your intentions publicly or in writing
Take tiny visible actions (e.g. track habits daily, post)
“I’m the kind of person who... [trains, writes, builds]” now you're locked in
4. The IKEA Effect
We overvalue what we build ourselves.
Exploit it:
Build your own systems, even if they're clunky
Make your own stretching/writing/training frameworks
You’ll value and stick to them far more than apps or trends
5. Social Proof + Scarcity Combo
We follow what others are doing, but especially what’s exclusive.
Exploit it:
If building a brand or business, invite only a few
Frame your offer/project as “not for everyone”
Let others signal value for you (testimonials, proof)
PART II: Mental Models for Superhuman Clarity
6. Second-Order Thinking
Don’t ask, “what happens next?”
Ask: “Then what?”
E.g.
You skip a workout then what?
You smoke then what cascade?
You finish 1 product then what platform, what scale, what message?
This defuses impulsivity and helps long-range decision making.
7. Temporal Perspective Shifting
Step outside of NOW. Ask:
“What would my 90-year-old self say about this decision?”
“What would my 14-year-old self be proud of here?”
“What happens if I repeat this daily for 5 years?”
1. The Zeigarnik Effect
Unfinished tasks dominate your mental RAM.
Exploit it:
Start something tiny your brain will crave completion
Use this to form habits: open the book, do 1 rep, hit record
Begin before you’re ready to force engagement
2. The Peak-End Rule
We judge experiences based on their peak moment and their end.
Exploit it:
End workouts, conversations, days with intensity or clarity
Always finish strong — it retroactively rewrites memory
Use for public speaking, sex, social interactions, journaling
3. Commitment & Consistency Bias
We align our actions to appear consistent with our past behavior.
Exploit it:
Declare your intentions publicly or in writing
Take tiny visible actions (e.g. track habits daily, post)
“I’m the kind of person who... [trains, writes, builds]” now you're locked in
4. The IKEA Effect
We overvalue what we build ourselves.
Exploit it:
Build your own systems, even if they're clunky
Make your own stretching/writing/training frameworks
You’ll value and stick to them far more than apps or trends
5. Social Proof + Scarcity Combo
We follow what others are doing, but especially what’s exclusive.
Exploit it:
If building a brand or business, invite only a few
Frame your offer/project as “not for everyone”
Let others signal value for you (testimonials, proof)
PART II: Mental Models for Superhuman Clarity
6. Second-Order Thinking
Don’t ask, “what happens next?”
Ask: “Then what?”
E.g.
You skip a workout then what?
You smoke then what cascade?
You finish 1 product then what platform, what scale, what message?
This defuses impulsivity and helps long-range decision making.
7. Temporal Perspective Shifting
Step outside of NOW. Ask:
“What would my 90-year-old self say about this decision?”
“What would my 14-year-old self be proud of here?”
“What happens if I repeat this daily for 5 years?”
6/23/2025, 1:34:23 AM
5. Policy Band-Aids (Micro-Level Authority Tweaks)
“Self-Signoff” Authority on Low-Stakes Items
Temporarily allow employees to auto-approve low-impact decisions (e.g., minor reimbursements, stationary orders) without supervisor sign-off.
Backlog Moratoriums
Officially freeze legacy low-priority backlog tasks (old reports, minor audits) for a set time — even 1 month — to allow catch-up on today’s needs.
Skill-Swaps for Burnout
Let staff swap task types weekly if burned out (e.g., phones <–> data entry).
Provides novelty and lowers repetitive stress injuries (RSIs).
6. Emergency Clarity Boards (Painkillers for Bureaucracy)
Place visible one-pager boards in each department with:
Top 3 tasks this week
Known system bugs and temporary workarounds
Fastest support contact numbers
“Do not waste time doing ___ this week” alerts
This stops repeated confusion and wasted energy on outdated procedures or bad links.
Bonus Principle: Permission to Improvise
Give trusted staff the explicit right to break from protocol where it's clearly inefficient, unsafe, or outdated — as long as they log their decisions and results.
This creates grassroots innovation and gives employees agency again.
“Self-Signoff” Authority on Low-Stakes Items
Temporarily allow employees to auto-approve low-impact decisions (e.g., minor reimbursements, stationary orders) without supervisor sign-off.
Backlog Moratoriums
Officially freeze legacy low-priority backlog tasks (old reports, minor audits) for a set time — even 1 month — to allow catch-up on today’s needs.
Skill-Swaps for Burnout
Let staff swap task types weekly if burned out (e.g., phones <–> data entry).
Provides novelty and lowers repetitive stress injuries (RSIs).
6. Emergency Clarity Boards (Painkillers for Bureaucracy)
Place visible one-pager boards in each department with:
Top 3 tasks this week
Known system bugs and temporary workarounds
Fastest support contact numbers
“Do not waste time doing ___ this week” alerts
This stops repeated confusion and wasted energy on outdated procedures or bad links.
Bonus Principle: Permission to Improvise
Give trusted staff the explicit right to break from protocol where it's clearly inefficient, unsafe, or outdated — as long as they log their decisions and results.
This creates grassroots innovation and gives employees agency again.
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